个人情况:我属于做题家。GMAT770, GRE 164+170+4.5。 托福107(口语17,其他满分,因阅读听力是选择题可以靠做题练到满分很容易;写作我本身写过不少英语学术文章,SSRN上我还有一些working paper所以这一块也相当于一个大量的训练,因为期刊的编辑会就写作内容和你讨论,所以算是一个对我的输出进行评估的过程,我可以从中学习)。我硕士读书的时候就是死读书,也不参加活动,就是读paper,写文章,做题看书考试,所以,口语这一块基本是没有提升的,写作倒是有不小提升,出国之前是24写作,后面就是28和30了。
申请PHD,面试了很多学校,有3个学校很明确说了就是口语问题,我其他条件都很好,所以没办法录取。
While we have not made a final decision on admitting a third student yet, we have reluctantly decided not to pursue you this year. We were very impressed with your accomplishments and capabilities, but your English was not up to par—yet. I certainly encourage you do pursue a masters degree next year and do anything else to improve your English skills.
再比如,I am sorry but the committee decided not to recruit you this year. Since you asked, the main reason was your spoken English. I believe that if you pursue a MS in Economics or Finance that you would be a more competitive candidate.
再再比如:The committee has noted that your TOEFL score meets the overall minimum requirement but that the speaking score is lower than what would be typical. You can consider retaking the IELTS or TOEFL test to increase this area as the next available entry point for the Ph.D. program is not until Fall 2022 so you have time to obtain a new test score if you wish.